Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/548151
AGGREGATES MANAGER August 2015 44 by Bill Langer Bill Langer is a consulting research geologist who spent 41 years with the U.S. Geological Survey before starting his own business. He can be reached at Bill_Langer@hotmail.com In Stone 'Readers of STONE have been told of the wondrous natural resources of mineral wealth which only await development all over Vermont, and…the golden opportuni- ties which await the capitalist who will apply his means to the development of these resources. Conspicuous among the towns thus favored stands… Barre, that phenomenal wonder among New England towns as regards its growth during the past two decades.' (Editor, 1892, Stone Illustrated, Vol. V, p. 11) This year, this column chronicles the growth of the granite industry of Barre, Vt. During the 1890s, demand for Barre granite skyrocketed. The stone had been used in the famous Vermont State House, large amounts of grout (waste rock) from quarrying had been used for paving stone, and the beautiful stone was recognized as a premier stone for monuments and mausoleums. It was the use in monuments and mausoleums that caused the demand for Barre granite to skyrocket. Meeting the ever- increasing demand required investors. During much of the 1880s and 1890s, large parts of the country were struggling with a depressed economy and double-digit unemployment. Nevertheless, Barre prospered as capitalists lined up to invest in Barre Granite. In 1881, the population of Barre was just over 2,000, and the real estate was valued at $712,439. By 1892, the popu- lation had surpassed 9,000, and the real estate was valued at $3,473,753. This phenomenal growth was due, almost entirely, to the development of the granite quarries and finishing sheds. Barre became the land of golden opportunity. The unrelenting demand for skilled artisans with a knowledge of quarrying or working stone could not be met locally. Furthermore, there was unrest over most of Europe. These combined factors resulted in a wave of immigrants from Scotland, Italy, Sweden, England, Norway, Spain, and Canada. Each nationality made its contribu- tion to the monumental stone industry. Most immigrants sailed to America on packet ships in the steerage area below decks. Conditions varied from ship to ship, but steerage could be unbelievably bad. Normally, steerage was crowded, dark, and damp, and limited sanitation and stormy seas often combined to make it dirty and foul smelling. Rats, insects, and disease were common problems. On at least one ship line, one in 10 steerage passenger died during the transatlantic voyage. Scottish immigration, which had begun in the 1840s, was well underway by the 1880s. Most Scotch immigrants to Barre were from Aberdeen, a region where artisans had been working granite as far back as the early 11th century. It was said that, as compared with the old country, the Scots in Barre worked harder, received higher wages, and spent more money, but they were no happier. By 1890, Scotch immigrants made up 20 percent of Barre's population. In the mid-1880s, many highly skilled Italian designers, sculptors, and carvers began to immigrate to Barre from the famous marble center of Carrara. Many of the artisans had studied sculpture in Italian arts academies and could trace their ancestry back to the medieval times of Michelangelo. By 1910, about 14 percent of Barre's population was Italian, and Barre had be- come the home of Vermont's largest Italian population. Immigrants of other nationalities soon followed. The immigrants brought with them a myriad of stone carving styles which, when applied to the high quality of Barre granite, propelled the rock into the national spotlight. Despite a depressed economy and double-digit unemployment, Barre drew skilled tradesmen from around the world and fueled local growth. THE LAND OF GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY Barre: August Barre Granite Mausoleum